WEBVTT 00:00:01.360 --> 00:00:03.759 All right. Well, as I mentioned in our intro, 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:07.259 we have a special guest speaker today. This man 00:00:07.259 --> 00:00:11.060 I met, gosh, a number of months ago at the pastor's 00:00:11.060 --> 00:00:13.539 meeting that we have over at Calvary Downey every 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:16.620 month and just has such a passion. And you're 00:00:16.620 --> 00:00:19.859 going to see why for this particular issue in 00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:25.600 dealing with pro -life and helping babies live. 00:00:26.439 --> 00:00:28.679 That's really what it comes down to is to help 00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:31.519 protect those who have no voice for themselves. 00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:34.159 And so he's been involved with this organization, 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:36.020 White Rose, and I'm sure he'll tell you about 00:00:36.020 --> 00:00:39.200 for a while now. We have met him. He was a big 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:41.420 part of helping us get started with our pro -life 00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:44.840 ministry here at Hosanna. And so just a blessed 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:47.520 brother. I'm just pleased to know him and just 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:49.340 very blessed to be able to do ministry with him. 00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:51.000 And so if you guys will please help me welcome 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:55.030 up Stephen Peas. Well, what an honor it is to 00:00:55.030 --> 00:00:57.310 be here with you today. I'm very thankful to 00:00:57.310 --> 00:01:00.590 Pastor Nathan for inviting me, and it's totally 00:01:00.590 --> 00:01:02.909 from the Lord that I'm here with you guys today. 00:01:04.329 --> 00:01:06.530 But let's, I also want to start in prayer, if 00:01:06.530 --> 00:01:08.969 that's okay. Heavenly Father, we just come before 00:01:08.969 --> 00:01:11.390 you. We thank you, God. We thank you for this 00:01:11.390 --> 00:01:14.549 opportunity to come together, to hear your word, 00:01:14.709 --> 00:01:19.030 to see what it is that you have to say. And Lord, 00:01:19.090 --> 00:01:20.849 we pray that you would minister to our hearts. 00:01:21.370 --> 00:01:24.469 We pray that you would speak to us, Lord God, 00:01:24.549 --> 00:01:27.530 from your word, that you would minister to us 00:01:27.530 --> 00:01:30.329 and that you would open our eyes specifically 00:01:30.329 --> 00:01:33.290 and what it is you have to say about babies in 00:01:33.290 --> 00:01:37.010 the womb, about the value of life. And Lord, 00:01:37.069 --> 00:01:41.409 that we would take our understanding and the 00:01:41.409 --> 00:01:43.590 way we look at things through the lens of scripture 00:01:43.590 --> 00:01:47.299 and may it affect us deeply here today. Lord, 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:49.060 I pray that you would pour out your spirit upon 00:01:49.060 --> 00:01:51.280 us, fall afresh upon us, be in this place right 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:53.439 now. We pray in Jesus' mighty name and all God's 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:57.260 people said, amen. Amen. Well, God bless you 00:01:57.260 --> 00:01:59.099 guys. Thank you so much for being here today. 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:02.799 Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday. And so I have 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:06.379 the high honor of sharing at many churches about 00:02:06.379 --> 00:02:09.599 what God says about life. And, you know, I was 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:12.509 a... I was a young kid who grew up at Calvary 00:02:12.509 --> 00:02:16.590 Chapel. I got saved at a young age, and I backslid 00:02:16.590 --> 00:02:19.610 pretty quick. By the time I was in high school, 00:02:19.650 --> 00:02:22.789 I was doing drugs, and by the time I was 17 years 00:02:22.789 --> 00:02:25.349 old, I was in and out of juvenile hall, and I 00:02:25.349 --> 00:02:30.710 had joined, running with a gang, and just terrible, 00:02:31.150 --> 00:02:32.870 right? Terrible, and I get out. I'm living in 00:02:32.870 --> 00:02:35.490 sin with this girl, and if those of you who know 00:02:35.490 --> 00:02:39.759 the Lord, you know that God is only going to 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:42.199 let you continue in your sin for so long before 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:44.740 he stops you in your tracks. And after six months 00:02:44.740 --> 00:02:47.360 of living in sin with this girl, she comes to 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:50.800 me and says, Stephen, I'm pregnant. And instead 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:52.800 of doing the right thing, instead of saying I'm 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:55.099 going to be the man God's called me to be, I'm 00:02:55.099 --> 00:02:56.280 going to straighten up and I'm going to take 00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:57.680 care of you, I'm going to take care of this baby, 00:02:57.879 --> 00:03:02.439 I ran to Planned Parenthood. And I ran and I 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:04.719 shirked my responsibilities and they said that 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:06.520 they were going to help us remove the contents 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:10.789 of pregnancy. They didn't call it a baby. They 00:03:10.789 --> 00:03:14.689 didn't say it was a child. And so we had an abortion. 00:03:14.789 --> 00:03:17.509 We went through with it. I paid for it, and I 00:03:17.509 --> 00:03:21.050 convinced her that we should have it. And, you 00:03:21.050 --> 00:03:22.969 know, they tell you they're going to help you. 00:03:22.990 --> 00:03:24.590 They tell you they're going to help you remove 00:03:24.590 --> 00:03:26.830 the contents of pregnancy, terminate the pregnancy. 00:03:27.110 --> 00:03:28.650 What they don't tell you is that you're going 00:03:28.650 --> 00:03:31.689 to be the parents of a dead child. And that was 00:03:31.689 --> 00:03:34.830 the reality that sunk into my life after. And 00:03:34.830 --> 00:03:37.030 so soon after that, alcohol was not working. 00:03:37.150 --> 00:03:39.590 Drugs were not getting me high. And I decided 00:03:39.590 --> 00:03:42.490 there was nowhere else I needed. There's nothing 00:03:42.490 --> 00:03:44.110 else I could do. I had to turn back to the Lord. 00:03:44.349 --> 00:03:48.629 I knew that. And so we broke up. And she blamed 00:03:48.629 --> 00:03:50.849 me. It was my fault. I understood. She did not 00:03:50.849 --> 00:03:52.569 want to come with me to church. She felt guilty. 00:03:53.370 --> 00:03:56.870 And so I went back to church and I humbled myself. 00:03:57.009 --> 00:03:59.650 I moved back in with my mom. She was going to 00:03:59.650 --> 00:04:01.889 church in Chino Hills and they had a flourishing 00:04:01.889 --> 00:04:04.990 pro -life ministry for people that have had an 00:04:04.990 --> 00:04:07.509 abortion. So if that's you here today and you 00:04:07.509 --> 00:04:10.479 have... Had that in your past. It is not the 00:04:10.479 --> 00:04:13.219 unforgivable sin. It is not something that you 00:04:13.219 --> 00:04:15.780 should be condemned for. It is something that 00:04:15.780 --> 00:04:18.220 God wants you to bring to him and confess, and 00:04:18.220 --> 00:04:20.500 he will cover you by his blood. He will wash 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:23.259 you by the power of his blood, and you will be 00:04:23.259 --> 00:04:26.100 made brand new. There are ministries out there 00:04:26.100 --> 00:04:29.899 that help do that. Forgiven and Set Free is a 00:04:29.899 --> 00:04:32.560 great Bible study. There's a few others we could 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:35.839 talk after, but I just want you to know this 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:38.110 message is not to condemn you. And this is not 00:04:38.110 --> 00:04:41.170 to shame you whatsoever. I myself am a post -abortive 00:04:41.170 --> 00:04:42.990 dad, and I have been forgiven and set free of 00:04:42.990 --> 00:04:46.050 this sin. Because no matter what your sin is 00:04:46.050 --> 00:04:48.769 in your life, the enemy wants to use it to condemn 00:04:48.769 --> 00:04:51.930 you. But he's a liar, and God is greater. Amen? 00:04:53.230 --> 00:05:00.720 Amen. Praise God for that. Fast forward 15 years 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:03.439 later, I met my beautiful wife at church. We 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:06.860 had three kids together. We have three beautiful 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:09.399 daughters together. They're still at my house. 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:14.379 I'm so thankful for them. They're precious. Teenage, 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:16.300 does anyone have any teenage or had teenage girls 00:05:16.300 --> 00:05:18.560 before? Yeah, they're just a bundle of joys, 00:05:18.579 --> 00:05:24.379 aren't they? No, they really are. They stretch 00:05:24.379 --> 00:05:28.829 me. They make me more like Jesus. But the reason 00:05:28.829 --> 00:05:30.750 why we're talking about this today is because, 00:05:30.850 --> 00:05:33.149 you know what? God has called us to be salt and 00:05:33.149 --> 00:05:35.930 light in the culture. God has called us, and 00:05:35.930 --> 00:05:39.889 salt is meant to keep things from rotting, keep 00:05:39.889 --> 00:05:42.250 things from decaying, and our society is decaying. 00:05:42.850 --> 00:05:45.649 And the reason why we're talking about this is 00:05:45.649 --> 00:05:49.550 because so many children have died from abortion. 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:53.860 You know, by the grace of God, we're going to 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:59.519 turn in our Bibles to Colossians chapter 1. So 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:05.459 let's go ahead and jump there. Because I could 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:07.420 talk all day, but you know what? The most important 00:06:07.420 --> 00:06:09.899 thing is the word of God. The most important 00:06:09.899 --> 00:06:17.519 thing is that we hear from the Lord. And I'll 00:06:17.519 --> 00:06:20.220 say this. So Colossians chapter 1, verse 16. 00:06:21.550 --> 00:06:25.329 So the title of the message today is What Does 00:06:25.329 --> 00:06:28.470 God Say About Life? And it brings me to my first 00:06:28.470 --> 00:06:30.930 point. It says that God says you have value. 00:06:31.069 --> 00:06:33.449 And we get this value from Colossians 1, verse 00:06:33.449 --> 00:06:36.569 16. And so it says, For by him were all things 00:06:36.569 --> 00:06:39.550 created that are in heaven and that are on earth, 00:06:39.730 --> 00:06:42.790 visible and invincible, whether they be thrones 00:06:42.790 --> 00:06:46.050 or dominions or principalities or powers. All 00:06:46.050 --> 00:06:51.720 things were created by him and for him. That's 00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:54.199 where we start. Okay, why do human beings have 00:06:54.199 --> 00:06:57.040 value? Well, right here in Colossians 1 .16, 00:06:57.100 --> 00:07:00.120 the Bible says that Jesus is the one that has 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:03.759 created you, and he creates you for himself. 00:07:04.259 --> 00:07:08.500 That gives you instant value. Jesus is the source. 00:07:08.860 --> 00:07:11.819 He is the authority. He is the originator of 00:07:11.819 --> 00:07:14.899 our beginnings. This means that he is the plane 00:07:14.899 --> 00:07:17.480 of our existence. He is the hand that brought 00:07:17.480 --> 00:07:20.839 us forth from the womb. And he is the one that 00:07:20.839 --> 00:07:24.600 we were created for. That means you guys, everybody 00:07:24.600 --> 00:07:26.759 in this place, everyone you've ever seen on the 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:29.160 face of this planet, every baby in the womb, 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:33.480 created for Jesus and by Jesus. That's what we 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:35.879 need to take note of here today. Every single 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:39.000 human has immense value. And it's all about King 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:42.600 Jesus. Creation brings glory to God. And God 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:45.120 tells us in his word in John chapter 1 verse 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:48.759 3, all things were made through him and without 00:07:48.759 --> 00:07:51.860 him nothing was made that was made. Let me say 00:07:51.860 --> 00:07:54.420 that again. All things were made through him 00:07:54.420 --> 00:07:57.500 and without him nothing was made that was made. 00:07:57.699 --> 00:07:59.860 There's nothing on the face of this planet that 00:07:59.860 --> 00:08:05.720 Jesus didn't speak into existence. The Bible 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:08.689 is very clear. In fact, I love that the Bible 00:08:08.689 --> 00:08:11.350 says in John 15, 5, it's not in my notes, but 00:08:11.350 --> 00:08:14.529 John 15, 5 states that we could do nothing apart 00:08:14.529 --> 00:08:16.769 from Jesus. When he's saying I'm the vine and 00:08:16.769 --> 00:08:19.089 you are the branches, you could do nothing apart 00:08:19.089 --> 00:08:22.050 from me. So you're created for him, you're created 00:08:22.050 --> 00:08:24.490 by him, and you could do nothing apart from him. 00:08:24.670 --> 00:08:27.970 We are surrounded and encompassed by Jesus Christ. 00:08:28.709 --> 00:08:32.549 Romans 11, 36 says it this way. For of him and 00:08:32.549 --> 00:08:37.029 through him and to him are all things. To whom 00:08:37.029 --> 00:08:40.610 be the glory forever. Amen. Ever. Amen. For of 00:08:40.610 --> 00:08:43.990 him and through him and to him are all things. 00:08:44.629 --> 00:08:46.710 This is the groundwork that we're laying here. 00:08:46.850 --> 00:08:51.169 Your value comes from Jesus. And you're created 00:08:51.169 --> 00:08:53.470 for his good pleasure. And we're to praise him 00:08:53.470 --> 00:08:56.649 for that. That brings me to my next point. God 00:08:56.649 --> 00:09:00.149 says that he made us in his image. So the first 00:09:00.149 --> 00:09:02.529 thing is you're created for him and by him. The 00:09:02.529 --> 00:09:04.289 second thing is you're made in his image. Let's 00:09:04.289 --> 00:09:06.830 turn to Genesis chapter 1. We're going to start 00:09:06.830 --> 00:09:11.490 in verse 24. Genesis chapter 1, verse 24. How 00:09:11.490 --> 00:09:12.570 are you guys doing today? You guys all right? 00:09:13.330 --> 00:09:15.929 All right, good. Praise God. This has been like 00:09:15.929 --> 00:09:18.669 the best summer. It's not been super hot. It's 00:09:18.669 --> 00:09:20.429 been nice. It's almost too cold to go to the 00:09:20.429 --> 00:09:23.350 beach, huh? It is. It's like, what's going on? 00:09:24.289 --> 00:09:26.350 I was like, like we had to take a sweater to 00:09:26.350 --> 00:09:28.350 the beach. It's like, you go, it's like, it's 00:09:28.350 --> 00:09:31.590 89 out here. You go to the beach, it's 79. And 00:09:31.590 --> 00:09:32.970 then the wind chill and you're like, I'm at the 00:09:32.970 --> 00:09:35.639 beach. Why am I in a sweater? But praise God 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:41.080 for that. All right, Genesis chapter one, verse 00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:45.200 24. Then God said, let's take note here. Then 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:48.080 God said, let the earth bring forth the living 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:52.159 creature according to its kind. Cattle and creeping 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:55.519 thing and beasts of the earth each. according 00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:58.700 to its kind. And it was so. And God made the 00:09:58.700 --> 00:10:01.299 beasts of the earth according to its kind, cattle 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:04.019 according to its kind, and everything that creeps 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:08.360 on the earth according to its kind. And God saw 00:10:08.360 --> 00:10:10.860 that it was good. So like, when the Bible is 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:13.240 repeating something over and over, take note 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:15.500 of that. There's a reason for it. He's trying 00:10:15.500 --> 00:10:18.500 to communicate to you that he is making something 00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:21.490 very specific in that way. according to its kind. 00:10:21.529 --> 00:10:23.809 The birds, the beasts, the creeping thing. And 00:10:23.809 --> 00:10:27.590 then he stops, he pauses, and verse 26 says, 00:10:27.730 --> 00:10:31.789 then God said, let us make man in our image, 00:10:31.870 --> 00:10:35.590 according to our likeness. Let them have dominion 00:10:35.590 --> 00:10:37.789 over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the 00:10:37.789 --> 00:10:41.169 air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and 00:10:41.169 --> 00:10:43.230 every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 00:10:44.200 --> 00:10:47.559 So God created man in his own image. In the image 00:10:47.559 --> 00:10:50.700 of God, he created him. Male and female, he created 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:54.740 them. And everybody said, amen. So this is where 00:10:54.740 --> 00:10:57.600 we get our value from, okay? It's very, very 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:00.500 foundational. You're created for him and by him. 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:03.399 Notice, everything is created according to its 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:06.740 own kind, except man is created in the image 00:11:06.740 --> 00:11:10.139 of the God of the universe. Not the angels, not 00:11:10.139 --> 00:11:14.830 the birds, not the cattle. Just you. We matter 00:11:14.830 --> 00:11:17.769 because of that. And Matthew Henry says in his 00:11:17.769 --> 00:11:19.769 commentary, he says, you know, God has created 00:11:19.769 --> 00:11:22.889 the light, the sun, the moon, the oceans, every 00:11:22.889 --> 00:11:25.570 bird, every creeping thing first, almost to get 00:11:25.570 --> 00:11:28.210 the whole world set up. And then he creates man 00:11:28.210 --> 00:11:31.129 so that man could never take credit for creation. 00:11:31.789 --> 00:11:35.169 Isn't that wonderful? Praise God for that. And 00:11:35.169 --> 00:11:37.649 after making every command, let there be light, 00:11:37.789 --> 00:11:40.450 let the earth bring forth, God turns, stops, 00:11:40.610 --> 00:11:44.250 and starts a conference with the Trinity. And 00:11:44.250 --> 00:11:47.169 he says, let us make man in our own image. In 00:11:47.169 --> 00:11:50.629 his own likeness, nothing else is made in the 00:11:50.629 --> 00:11:54.950 likeness of almighty God. This word likeness 00:11:54.950 --> 00:11:59.769 means resemblance. To resemble something concretely, 00:11:59.809 --> 00:12:04.529 to model after, to shape after. To fashion in 00:12:04.529 --> 00:12:07.970 the same likeness of or the same manner of. Now 00:12:07.970 --> 00:12:11.350 let me say this. In his image means you are a 00:12:11.350 --> 00:12:15.009 figure that represents God. You're like an icon 00:12:15.009 --> 00:12:18.429 representing the Lord. Every single human being. 00:12:18.789 --> 00:12:21.649 Every single baby in the womb. No matter the 00:12:21.649 --> 00:12:24.029 circumstance in which they were conceived. Whether 00:12:24.029 --> 00:12:25.970 a man and a woman got married and conceived. 00:12:26.110 --> 00:12:29.850 Or the baby was conceived out of wedlock. Whether 00:12:29.850 --> 00:12:32.799 the mom is poor and dad's on drugs. Whether they're 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:34.820 teenage parents or whether they're older parents 00:12:34.820 --> 00:12:37.539 in a high -risk pregnancy, whether it's a situation 00:12:37.539 --> 00:12:40.100 of abuse, or whether the baby's going to be born 00:12:40.100 --> 00:12:43.320 with Down syndrome. This does not, I repeat, 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:45.779 this does not give us the right to take the life 00:12:45.779 --> 00:12:49.039 of an innocent human being under no circumstance. 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:55.940 Praise God for that. The situation does not dictate 00:12:55.940 --> 00:12:59.860 the value of the baby. God does. And I think 00:12:59.860 --> 00:13:04.120 one of the greatest lies here today, Is that 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:07.240 we tell people that in the situation of abuse, 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:12.159 that it's okay to have an abortion. We tell people 00:13:12.159 --> 00:13:16.159 that when this situation happens, it's okay to 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:17.799 go ahead with abortion. And let me explain it 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:20.799 this way. A friend of mine was showing me a family 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:23.559 picture of his, and suddenly he had seven children. 00:13:23.820 --> 00:13:25.759 And I know he doesn't have seven children. I 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:29.340 asked him how he got four more kids. And he said, 00:13:29.379 --> 00:13:32.200 well, I got a call from CPS not too long ago. 00:13:33.110 --> 00:13:35.649 My sister's kids. So he's got three and one on 00:13:35.649 --> 00:13:39.350 the way at that time. And the oldest of her four 00:13:39.350 --> 00:13:43.429 kids is 13 years old. And she was acting strange. 00:13:44.110 --> 00:13:46.090 And so they took her to the doctor. And they 00:13:46.090 --> 00:13:48.230 found out she was seven and a half months pregnant. 00:13:48.269 --> 00:13:51.850 She was being abused by the stepdad. And so immediately 00:13:51.850 --> 00:13:55.710 CPS removes these children from the home. And 00:13:55.710 --> 00:13:57.750 they call him. And they said, come get these 00:13:57.750 --> 00:13:59.429 kids or else they're going to go into the system. 00:13:59.549 --> 00:14:00.990 He says, we'll be right there. So they pick them 00:14:00.990 --> 00:14:04.080 up. And because the mom, who is an atheist, his 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:06.019 sister, is not walking with the Lord, does not 00:14:06.019 --> 00:14:08.080 know Jesus, and refuses to walk with the Lord, 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:10.779 and she's married to this disgusting human being 00:14:10.779 --> 00:14:14.220 who's been raping this poor young girl, she comes 00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:16.980 to the daughter and says, look, we'll help you, 00:14:17.039 --> 00:14:18.799 we'll help you adopt this baby, or we'll help 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:21.840 you raise this baby. And because she's so guilty 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:24.299 and so full of shame that her daughter is pregnant 00:14:24.299 --> 00:14:26.580 with her grandkid, not because of normal circumstances, 00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:28.659 but because her husband has been raping her daughter, 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:33.000 the daughter turns back, and says to her, how 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.899 come you're not offering me an abortion? This 00:14:35.899 --> 00:14:38.179 is the situation, this is the circumstance where 00:14:38.179 --> 00:14:41.559 you should be giving me an abortion. And she 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:43.779 crumbles, and she takes her to Cedars -Sinai 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:46.659 Hospital, not to Planned Parenthood, to Cedars 00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:50.580 -Sinai Hospital to have a late -term, two -day 00:14:50.580 --> 00:14:53.840 -long abortion for this poor 13 -year -old girl 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:57.590 and breaks this little girl. She comes back to 00:14:57.590 --> 00:14:59.470 the house and my friend has a newborn now at 00:14:59.470 --> 00:15:02.610 this time. And this baby is crying and she is 00:15:02.610 --> 00:15:04.629 starting to give milk and she doesn't understand 00:15:04.629 --> 00:15:09.389 why. She takes a shower and clumps of hair are 00:15:09.389 --> 00:15:11.549 coming out and she doesn't understand that she's 00:15:11.549 --> 00:15:14.730 postpartum. And her life has been broken into 00:15:14.730 --> 00:15:17.370 pieces. We didn't help this girl. We compounded 00:15:17.370 --> 00:15:21.519 the sin of rape with murder. And as a society, 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:24.080 it is one of the most horrific things that we 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:27.080 do day in and day out. We kill so many babies. 00:15:27.139 --> 00:15:30.539 We kill 2 ,500 children made in the image of 00:15:30.539 --> 00:15:35.200 God every single day in this nation. 461 babies 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:37.539 every single day in California. We kill more 00:15:37.539 --> 00:15:40.340 babies than any other state across the face of 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:46.539 the planet. God help us. And you know what, though? 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:50.309 There's hope. There's hope, there's hope, there's 00:15:50.309 --> 00:15:55.129 hope because God is greater, amen? Let's turn 00:15:55.129 --> 00:16:06.730 to Psalm chapter eight, verse four. So not only 00:16:06.730 --> 00:16:09.470 does God say that he's going to make you in his 00:16:09.470 --> 00:16:11.570 image, not only does he say I created you for 00:16:11.570 --> 00:16:14.830 you, I created you for myself. by myself for 00:16:14.830 --> 00:16:17.490 my good pleasure. But he says in Psalm 8, verse 00:16:17.490 --> 00:16:22.490 4, what is man that you are mindful of him and 00:16:22.490 --> 00:16:24.909 the son of man that you visit him? You have made 00:16:24.909 --> 00:16:27.029 him a little lower than the angels and you have 00:16:27.029 --> 00:16:29.889 crowned him with glory and honor. You've made 00:16:29.889 --> 00:16:32.009 him to have dominion over the works of your hands. 00:16:32.210 --> 00:16:35.909 You have put all things under his feet. I love 00:16:35.909 --> 00:16:39.429 this. Verse 4 says he is mindful of you, each 00:16:39.429 --> 00:16:41.879 and every one of you. I don't care your status. 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:43.840 I don't care how old you are or how young you 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:46.659 are. The Bible says that he is mindful of you. 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:49.600 That you are often brought into remembrance. 00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:53.500 This means to be observed. He's observing you. 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:57.100 You're brought up. You're marked as noticed in 00:16:57.100 --> 00:17:00.220 the mind of God. And then it says that he crowns 00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:03.000 you. That he surrounds us with a crown of glory 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:05.819 and honor with a shield. It's like a shield of 00:17:05.819 --> 00:17:09.380 favor. Imagine walking with favor. He crowns 00:17:09.380 --> 00:17:11.299 us with this glory. And this word glory means 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:14.099 to have an abundance of riches, splendor, and 00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:17.039 dignity. Not necessarily riches like millions 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:19.559 of dollars, but riches spiritually. You know, 00:17:19.579 --> 00:17:21.579 you could have no money in the bank and be more 00:17:21.579 --> 00:17:25.559 richer than Jeff Bezos. You really could. I mean, 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:27.940 my wife and I live very humbly. We rent out a 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:31.099 small little house. We don't have a ton, but 00:17:31.099 --> 00:17:36.170 I feel rich. I feel rich. My life is... And it's 00:17:36.170 --> 00:17:38.630 amazing because God has blessed us and given 00:17:38.630 --> 00:17:43.009 us a new life. Amen? God wants to give you glory 00:17:43.009 --> 00:17:45.769 and honor like that. And this is what he says 00:17:45.769 --> 00:17:48.029 about you and I. You can put your name into these 00:17:48.029 --> 00:17:50.549 verses and God is speaking directly to you right 00:17:50.549 --> 00:17:53.250 now. There's not a person in here that God does 00:17:53.250 --> 00:17:55.329 not value and God does not love and God did not 00:17:55.329 --> 00:17:59.549 send his son for. Never let anyone tell you that 00:17:59.549 --> 00:18:01.509 you're not of value. And never let anyone tell 00:18:01.509 --> 00:18:06.900 someone else that they don't value. Amen? Verse 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:09.259 6, you have made him to have dominion over the 00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:11.240 works of your hands, and you have put all things 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:14.859 under his feet. I love that God gives you and 00:18:14.859 --> 00:18:17.299 I an opportunity to have dominion over the work 00:18:17.299 --> 00:18:19.759 of his hands. When the church is making announcements 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:22.480 for you to partner and to do something, if you're 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:25.799 going to serve in any capacity, that is an opportunity 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:29.079 that God is opening up to you to have dominion, 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:31.400 whether it's the safety team or whatever you're 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:33.900 going to be serving in. God is giving you an 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:37.079 opportunity. to oversee a small part of his work. 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:39.319 It could be small, it could be great, but it's 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:42.180 a work that God is calling us to. And he's asking 00:18:42.180 --> 00:18:45.640 you to step into that work and let us be willing 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:48.380 to receive from God. Let us be willing to say, 00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:50.220 Lord, what is it that you have for me? Where 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:52.680 is it that you want me to go? I'll do whatever 00:18:52.680 --> 00:18:54.700 it is. I'll say whatever you want me to say. 00:18:54.940 --> 00:18:57.779 Send me, here am I. Let that be on your hearts 00:18:57.779 --> 00:18:59.579 because God has called you to have dominion. 00:18:59.819 --> 00:19:04.410 And this word dominion means to tread down, to 00:19:04.410 --> 00:19:08.170 subjugate, to make to specifically, to prevail 00:19:08.170 --> 00:19:12.130 against or to reign over. It's amazing. Or it 00:19:12.130 --> 00:19:14.390 could even mean to tread your feet over one's 00:19:14.390 --> 00:19:17.210 feet in a wine press, over the grapes in a wine 00:19:17.210 --> 00:19:20.109 press. God gives you dominion. So you have value 00:19:20.109 --> 00:19:22.670 because of these things. And not only does God 00:19:22.670 --> 00:19:24.509 give us dominion over the birds of the air and 00:19:24.509 --> 00:19:26.049 the beasts of the field, but the works of his 00:19:26.049 --> 00:19:29.549 hands. And God wants us to do a work. He does. 00:19:29.630 --> 00:19:32.549 I know he does. I never thought. I'm a sinner. 00:19:32.710 --> 00:19:34.650 I'm a massive sinner. The fact that I'm standing 00:19:34.650 --> 00:19:36.769 here before you today should encourage you that 00:19:36.769 --> 00:19:39.690 God could use you 10 times more mightily. Because 00:19:39.690 --> 00:19:42.470 there's no way that, I have teachers, I promise 00:19:42.470 --> 00:19:44.890 you, that are in utter shock that I'm standing 00:19:44.890 --> 00:19:47.509 here teaching at a pulpit today. Utter shock. 00:19:47.950 --> 00:19:50.670 And it's just the hand of God. And if he could 00:19:50.670 --> 00:19:53.509 use a wretch like me, he could use anybody in 00:19:53.509 --> 00:19:56.230 this place. That brings me to my fourth point. 00:19:56.430 --> 00:20:00.339 God says he sees you and he knows you. Okay? 00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:05.240 He sees you and he knows you. Psalm 139. This 00:20:05.240 --> 00:20:07.339 is where we get the doctrine. Like if you forget 00:20:07.339 --> 00:20:11.220 everything that's said today, Psalm 139 is where 00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:13.099 you run to for the doctrine and the sanctity 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:16.319 of life. This is where God expresses from beginning 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:19.559 to end what happens in the womb, what he says 00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:22.420 about it, all of that. Psalm 139. Just etch that 00:20:22.420 --> 00:20:24.079 in your mind. So let's all turn there. Psalm 00:20:24.079 --> 00:20:29.730 139. I know it's kind of rapid fire, but. It'll 00:20:29.730 --> 00:20:42.250 be okay. Okay, Psalm 139, verse 1. A Psalm of 00:20:42.250 --> 00:20:44.789 David. Oh, Lord, you have searched me and known 00:20:44.789 --> 00:20:47.950 me. You know my sitting down. You know my rising 00:20:47.950 --> 00:20:52.269 up. You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend 00:20:52.269 --> 00:20:55.109 my path and my lying down. You are acquainted 00:20:55.109 --> 00:20:58.539 with all of my ways. For there is not a word 00:20:58.539 --> 00:21:01.160 on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, you know it 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:05.279 all together. I love this. It says, this means 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:07.539 that God is considering you and he is interested 00:21:07.539 --> 00:21:10.819 in you. There's a very, very personal nature 00:21:10.819 --> 00:21:15.799 here. This word searching, I love this. Man, 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:18.420 this is so good. Oh, man. I hope, I hope, I hope. 00:21:19.500 --> 00:21:21.599 I feel like I'm trying to articulate something 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:24.680 that is so high shelf up here that I'm just going 00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:27.140 to miss. But I'm going to try. And bear with 00:21:27.140 --> 00:21:30.779 me. This word searching means to do a deep examination 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:35.279 of. To penetrate or to examine intimately. To 00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:38.640 examine with pain and with care. This is the 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:42.759 way God is examining you. And then in verse 1 00:21:42.759 --> 00:21:45.599 it says that he has known us. And this word known 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:48.700 means to acquire knowledge of, to ascertain, 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:52.480 to recognize or discern, and to find out about, 00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:57.119 inquire of. How is this person doing? God's involvement 00:21:57.119 --> 00:22:01.299 in your life is so deep and so intimate. God 00:22:01.299 --> 00:22:03.460 knows the sitting down and the rising up of you, 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:06.200 the day -to -day stuff. He knows the average 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:09.660 non -Instagram, non -Facebook, sweatpants -in 00:22:09.660 --> 00:22:15.700 -the -morning version of you. Verse three, he 00:22:15.700 --> 00:22:19.400 says he is acquainted with all of my ways. This 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:23.420 word acquainted means to acquaint oneself, to 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:27.200 have it, to dwell with, in the same way that 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:29.900 you would know someone who you live with. And 00:22:29.900 --> 00:22:31.480 those of us who are married, you don't really 00:22:31.480 --> 00:22:33.299 know someone until you live with them, amen? 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:37.039 Or a brother or a sister, it doesn't matter. 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:40.579 You know, or, you know, if you have a sibling 00:22:40.579 --> 00:22:42.599 and they start, you know, it's my, my brother 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:44.279 just got married and I'm like, well, she's going 00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:46.119 to find out how that goes when she marries him, 00:22:46.119 --> 00:22:49.279 you know? He got married last week. No, they're 00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:51.240 great. He's a new creation. She's a new creation. 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:54.180 It's a beautiful thing, but you really get to 00:22:54.180 --> 00:22:56.839 know somebody, you know? So God knows you like 00:22:56.839 --> 00:23:00.259 that, but even deeper. He knows everything, the 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:03.039 secret things, the good, the bad. He knows your 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:05.839 thoughts. He knows your actions. He knows your 00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:08.799 locations. He knows your ways and your motives. 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:13.420 This isn't in my notes, but Hebrew 4 .13 says, 00:23:13.619 --> 00:23:16.819 all things are naked and open to the eyes of 00:23:16.819 --> 00:23:20.579 him to whom we must give an account. We're open 00:23:20.579 --> 00:23:23.319 book before the Lord. There's no hiding. There's 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:25.799 no covering. We could put on a good face and 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:28.220 come to church. We could wear slacks. We could 00:23:28.220 --> 00:23:31.059 wear nice shoes. But I'll tell you this, God 00:23:31.059 --> 00:23:33.940 knows what's going on. And if you walked in here 00:23:33.940 --> 00:23:35.960 today, you're like, what is going on? What is 00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:39.380 this message about? And I'll just detour for 00:23:39.380 --> 00:23:42.339 a second. If you don't know for certain that 00:23:42.339 --> 00:23:44.900 if you died today that you'd go to heaven, that 00:23:44.900 --> 00:23:46.759 is something that needs to be taken care of today. 00:23:47.539 --> 00:23:49.500 It's not an accident that you're here. It's not 00:23:49.500 --> 00:23:51.180 an accident that you came into church for the 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:53.400 first time or you're just visiting. Or you've 00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:55.700 been struggling with this. and you've just kind 00:23:55.700 --> 00:23:57.279 of been going through the motions, but you've 00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:00.079 never surrendered your life to Christ. You've 00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:02.500 never stopped and said, God, what is it that 00:24:02.500 --> 00:24:06.740 I need to do? Lord, help me turn from my sin. 00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:09.559 Whatever it could be, you can turn from that 00:24:09.559 --> 00:24:12.220 thing, whether it's addiction, whether it's lust, 00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:14.900 whether it's pride, and you've never asked God 00:24:14.900 --> 00:24:16.980 to forgive you of your sin. You've never turned 00:24:16.980 --> 00:24:19.339 and said, Lord, I'm done. I'm finished. Come 00:24:19.339 --> 00:24:22.859 be my Savior. Come forgive me. I repent. And 00:24:22.859 --> 00:24:25.180 you actually repent. You actually turn. you actually 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:28.140 turn from your sin, you should do that today. 00:24:28.359 --> 00:24:30.440 And there's going to be opportunity at the end 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:32.400 where people can come forward and pray with the 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:34.819 elders. And I'm sure there's plenty of people 00:24:34.819 --> 00:24:36.240 that would love to lead you in the Lord today. 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:38.619 But you need to know, because we can leave this 00:24:38.619 --> 00:24:41.039 place today. You can pull out to Belfour and 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:42.819 get T -bone, and then you're going to stand before 00:24:42.819 --> 00:24:45.000 God, and you need to know Jesus is your Lord 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:47.660 and Savior. You need to be washed in the blood 00:24:47.660 --> 00:24:50.660 of Jesus. Amen? All right, back to the study. 00:24:52.460 --> 00:24:54.740 He knows these things about you and he still 00:24:54.740 --> 00:24:58.400 loves you. It's so encouraging to me that God 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:00.859 knows the deepest, darkest secrets about me and 00:25:00.859 --> 00:25:03.019 that he still wants to have fellowship with me. 00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:05.640 He still, and he remembers them no more even. 00:25:05.819 --> 00:25:08.119 When you're forgiven, the Bible says your sin 00:25:08.119 --> 00:25:10.640 is separated as far as the east is from the west. 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:16.440 And so now as we move down to Psalm. 139 verse 00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:18.700 13. This is where David gets really specific 00:25:18.700 --> 00:25:22.180 about God's involvement with us from conception 00:25:22.180 --> 00:25:26.660 through the womb. Very important here. Very important. 00:25:26.759 --> 00:25:30.859 Psalm 139 verse 13. For you formed my inward 00:25:30.859 --> 00:25:34.480 parts. You covered me in my mother's womb. I 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:37.319 will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully 00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:40.920 made. Marvelous are your works. That my soul 00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:44.259 knows very well. My frame was not hidden from 00:25:44.259 --> 00:25:46.960 you when I was made in secret and skillfully 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:50.339 wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. I love 00:25:50.339 --> 00:25:52.839 this because God's thoughts towards us are not 00:25:52.839 --> 00:25:55.380 only all the way back to the womb, but even before 00:25:55.380 --> 00:25:56.960 that. We'll get into that a little bit later 00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:59.960 in the sermon. But God's thoughts towards you, 00:26:00.059 --> 00:26:02.779 he's present. It says, when I was made in secret, 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:05.700 God knows that you're being conceived. God knows 00:26:05.700 --> 00:26:07.680 when you're being birthed. And God knows you 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:10.869 now and forever. And the God of the universe 00:26:10.869 --> 00:26:13.589 is the one who is articulating to you that it 00:26:13.589 --> 00:26:16.589 is his handiwork, knitting you together, your 00:26:16.589 --> 00:26:19.710 kidneys, your vital organs, in the womb of your 00:26:19.710 --> 00:26:23.289 mother. And God puts together our innermost being, 00:26:23.569 --> 00:26:26.589 skillfully wrought. This word can be translated 00:26:26.589 --> 00:26:30.829 to embroidered. In the book of Exodus, the word 00:26:30.829 --> 00:26:33.130 embroidered, it's interchangeable with skillfully 00:26:33.130 --> 00:26:36.809 wrought. And God is weaving together, embroidering 00:26:36.809 --> 00:26:40.430 babies in the womb of moms every single day. 00:26:40.930 --> 00:26:44.150 And abortion stops that miracle and it's a tragedy. 00:26:46.069 --> 00:26:49.349 It's absolutely tragic. That's why Satan is so 00:26:49.349 --> 00:26:52.750 keen on it. That's why he's so, he does not care 00:26:52.750 --> 00:26:54.930 what you call it. He doesn't care if you call 00:26:54.930 --> 00:26:57.809 it healthcare. He doesn't care if you call it 00:26:57.809 --> 00:27:01.769 women's rights. He does not care. Continue to 00:27:01.769 --> 00:27:04.809 sacrifice that child. That's all he wants. He 00:27:04.809 --> 00:27:07.109 wants you to break the heart of God. He wants 00:27:07.109 --> 00:27:09.170 you to convince other people what you're doing 00:27:09.170 --> 00:27:12.069 is not really what it is. It's just a procedure. 00:27:12.289 --> 00:27:14.789 It's just a medical procedure. But it's the only 00:27:14.789 --> 00:27:17.029 medical procedure that ends when somebody dies. 00:27:18.630 --> 00:27:21.210 I don't know of any other medical procedure that 00:27:21.210 --> 00:27:23.569 is successful when somebody actually dies from 00:27:23.569 --> 00:27:29.609 it. This word covered means to screen or to cover 00:27:29.609 --> 00:27:32.210 oneself, to be a protector. God says, I cover 00:27:32.210 --> 00:27:35.420 you in the womb. He speaks here even of your 00:27:35.420 --> 00:27:40.440 soul being seen by Almighty God. Verse 16. Your 00:27:40.440 --> 00:27:43.619 eyes saw my substance, yet being unformed, and 00:27:43.619 --> 00:27:45.940 in your book they were all written, the days 00:27:45.940 --> 00:27:48.420 fashioned for me, when as yet there were none 00:27:48.420 --> 00:27:51.720 of them. God is very intentional here. He understands 00:27:51.720 --> 00:27:53.880 the days that you're going to live. He understands 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:55.839 what you're going to be doing in this life. He 00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:58.500 has a calling that he has set upon you. And he 00:27:58.500 --> 00:28:03.309 calls you to walk in that. Verse 17, how precious 00:28:03.309 --> 00:28:06.009 are your thoughts towards me, oh God. How great 00:28:06.009 --> 00:28:08.369 is the sum of them. If I should count them, there 00:28:08.369 --> 00:28:10.970 would be more than the number of the sand. When 00:28:10.970 --> 00:28:14.150 I awake, I'm still with you. Now let me just 00:28:14.150 --> 00:28:16.349 put a picture in your mind. I was talking about 00:28:16.349 --> 00:28:18.309 the beach earlier. I don't know if any of you 00:28:18.309 --> 00:28:20.430 have been to the beach. I'm sure you have. Or 00:28:20.430 --> 00:28:22.710 even just been around sand. And if you've ever 00:28:22.710 --> 00:28:25.670 picked up a handful of sand and you try to let 00:28:25.670 --> 00:28:28.609 it out and count every single grain of sand as 00:28:28.609 --> 00:28:31.319 it's fallen. I'm sure we would all fail miserably 00:28:31.319 --> 00:28:34.259 at that, but imagine that number, and then multiply 00:28:34.259 --> 00:28:36.619 that times the amount of beaches across the face 00:28:36.619 --> 00:28:39.420 of this planet, and that is not even close to 00:28:39.420 --> 00:28:41.380 the amount that God is thinking about you day 00:28:41.380 --> 00:28:45.500 in and day out. He is so intimately involved 00:28:45.500 --> 00:28:48.140 in your life. Now, we might not be involved with 00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:50.420 what he's doing. We might be busy doing what 00:28:50.420 --> 00:28:53.140 we want to do, but make no mistake about it. 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:55.980 He cares about you. He thinks about you. He's 00:28:55.980 --> 00:29:11.380 mindful of you often. Amen? Isaiah 44, 24. Isaiah 00:29:11.380 --> 00:29:15.799 44, 24 says this. Thus says the Lord your Redeemer, 00:29:16.039 --> 00:29:20.160 He who formed you from the womb, I am the Lord 00:29:20.160 --> 00:29:23.019 who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens 00:29:23.019 --> 00:29:27.319 all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by myself. 00:29:27.839 --> 00:29:32.980 I love in Job that God is like, Job is complaining, 00:29:33.019 --> 00:29:35.000 complaining. And God finally stops and says, 00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:38.480 were you there when I put the earth and its foundations 00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:40.599 together? Were you there when I put the stars 00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:44.319 in the sky? Job, do you know the math? No, you 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:47.579 don't. Because I'm God. I know these things. 00:29:47.880 --> 00:29:50.200 And I'm the one who pulls you from the womb. 00:29:50.279 --> 00:29:53.180 I'm the one who's formed you. Man, he is so much 00:29:53.180 --> 00:29:55.940 higher and so much greater. I'm so glad. I'm 00:29:55.940 --> 00:29:58.150 so glad I'm not God. Because, you know, there's 00:29:58.150 --> 00:30:00.210 so many things I wouldn't put up with. I'd be 00:30:00.210 --> 00:30:02.049 like, oh, just zap that person. Burn them up 00:30:02.049 --> 00:30:05.049 right now. It's really good that I'm not God. 00:30:07.650 --> 00:30:09.750 But he's our redeemer. He's the one who pays 00:30:09.750 --> 00:30:14.190 our ransom. He declares over and over throughout 00:30:14.190 --> 00:30:16.369 the Bible that he loves you, that he's thinking 00:30:16.369 --> 00:30:20.470 about you. You know, God says I formed you from 00:30:20.470 --> 00:30:22.869 the womb, but we live in a culture that often 00:30:22.869 --> 00:30:26.980 just dehumanizes children. And this is, the Bible 00:30:26.980 --> 00:30:29.880 says there's nothing new under the sun. This 00:30:29.880 --> 00:30:33.420 is an age -old fight. In the 1800s, it was the 00:30:33.420 --> 00:30:35.519 slaves, they were referred to as property, they 00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:38.200 were not fully human, and it was completely legal 00:30:38.200 --> 00:30:42.500 to own slaves as property. And they probably 00:30:42.500 --> 00:30:45.759 said something like this, if you don't like slavery, 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:48.900 don't own a slave. Today they say, if you don't 00:30:48.900 --> 00:30:53.640 like abortion, don't have an abortion. During 00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:55.880 World War II, it was the Jews. If you weren't 00:30:55.880 --> 00:30:58.940 fully human, you needed to be exterminated because 00:30:58.940 --> 00:31:01.839 you were Jewish. You were unfit. Later, we're 00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:03.839 going to see this movie called The 1916 Project. 00:31:04.160 --> 00:31:06.940 You're going to see some wicked stuff about Nazi 00:31:06.940 --> 00:31:10.319 Germany and its ties to Planned Parenthood. The 00:31:10.319 --> 00:31:12.559 writings that the board of Planned Parenthood 00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:15.839 books that they wrote impressed Hitler. And you'll 00:31:15.839 --> 00:31:20.240 see that. That eugenicist, racist beginnings 00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:23.269 came from Planned Parenthood. While we were messing 00:31:23.269 --> 00:31:27.069 around, just trying to do it secretly, they were 00:31:27.069 --> 00:31:29.509 actually doing it in Nazi Germany. And that's 00:31:29.509 --> 00:31:31.130 why Planned Parenthoods and abortion clinics 00:31:31.130 --> 00:31:33.670 are in neighborhoods of color. Because they're 00:31:33.670 --> 00:31:35.950 trying to exterminate. Did you know, oh man, 00:31:36.069 --> 00:31:38.029 I don't even want to get into the movie. If you 00:31:38.029 --> 00:31:40.410 guys have time today, it's an hour and ten minutes. 00:31:40.789 --> 00:31:43.569 It's an eye -opening movie. You come and you 00:31:43.569 --> 00:31:45.250 won't be regretted. We're going to feed them, 00:31:45.250 --> 00:31:46.569 right? You're going to feed them. You're even 00:31:46.569 --> 00:31:49.349 going to get fed. I mean, shoot, man. Praise 00:31:49.349 --> 00:31:53.700 God for that. And you know, the last 20 years, 00:31:53.799 --> 00:31:56.640 this is how scary it is. The last 20 years, you 00:31:56.640 --> 00:31:58.500 would have had a greater chance of surviving 00:31:58.500 --> 00:32:01.339 the war in Iraq than being a baby in the womb 00:32:01.339 --> 00:32:04.920 in America. More black babies are killed in New 00:32:04.920 --> 00:32:08.380 York than are being born. And it's a demonic 00:32:08.380 --> 00:32:12.720 argument. Abortion says this. You lay down your 00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:15.980 life so that way I can have riches, comfort, 00:32:16.220 --> 00:32:20.980 education, convenience, health care. But the 00:32:20.980 --> 00:32:23.880 Lord says, I lay down my life so that your life 00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:26.220 may be more abundant and you may be a new creation. 00:32:26.980 --> 00:32:29.299 Everything God does, the enemy tries to turn 00:32:29.299 --> 00:32:32.500 down and he tries to destroy. And that's why 00:32:32.500 --> 00:32:34.759 he loves abortion. Because he could go in there 00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:37.299 and he could try and stop a work that God's doing. 00:32:39.359 --> 00:32:41.559 We know God cares about these babies in the womb. 00:32:41.799 --> 00:32:43.740 He says many things about these babies in the 00:32:43.740 --> 00:32:48.799 womb. Psalm 127 verse 3 and 4. This is a good 00:32:48.799 --> 00:32:50.779 one. If you're a note taker, you should just 00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:52.960 note these verses in the margin of your Bible 00:32:52.960 --> 00:33:03.599 or in your notes. Psalm 127, verse three. Behold, 00:33:03.599 --> 00:33:06.680 the children are a heritage from the Lord. Fruit 00:33:06.680 --> 00:33:09.839 of the womb is a reward. You know, this verse 00:33:09.839 --> 00:33:12.579 speaks to God directly assigning children to 00:33:12.579 --> 00:33:15.259 you. It's not a mistake. I don't know, if you 00:33:15.259 --> 00:33:18.799 guys have children, And usually they do stuff 00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:20.940 that you did and you're like, man, I can't stand 00:33:20.940 --> 00:33:23.480 that part about them. But it's just like you, 00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:26.680 you know. And it's like, man, I love my kids 00:33:26.680 --> 00:33:30.460 so much. They truly do make me want to seek the 00:33:30.460 --> 00:33:32.779 Lord because I'm going to stand before God for 00:33:32.779 --> 00:33:34.539 how I raised them. The Bible says train up a 00:33:34.539 --> 00:33:35.900 child in the way they should go and then when 00:33:35.900 --> 00:33:37.900 they get old they will not depart from it. But 00:33:37.900 --> 00:33:39.940 I want to make sure I'm training and not telling 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:42.299 my child the way it should go. I want to make 00:33:42.299 --> 00:33:44.460 sure that I'm modeling what it's like to walk 00:33:44.460 --> 00:33:48.099 with the Lord. And that they would also, a lot 00:33:48.099 --> 00:33:50.859 of it is caught, not taught. They're watching 00:33:50.859 --> 00:33:52.559 you. You're showing them how to live it out. 00:33:52.819 --> 00:33:55.740 They're watching you read your Bible. They're 00:33:55.740 --> 00:33:57.519 watching you raise your hands and praise God. 00:33:57.740 --> 00:34:00.240 They're watching you forgive people who you need 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:02.440 to forgive that have hurt you and wronged you. 00:34:02.579 --> 00:34:03.960 And you weren't the one who was in the wrong. 00:34:04.539 --> 00:34:06.380 But you're being like Christ to them. They need 00:34:06.380 --> 00:34:10.159 to see that in your life. God calls us to do 00:34:10.159 --> 00:34:12.199 that, and that's why it's a reward, because it 00:34:12.199 --> 00:34:15.460 makes you more like Jesus. Verse four, like arrows 00:34:15.460 --> 00:34:17.940 in the hands of a warrior, so are the children 00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:21.400 of one's youth. And I love this. One pastor, 00:34:21.619 --> 00:34:23.579 you guys all agree we're in a spiritual battle? 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:26.820 Yep, we're all in a spiritual battle. And if 00:34:26.820 --> 00:34:29.150 we're in a spiritual battle, The Bible tells 00:34:29.150 --> 00:34:31.329 you that children are like arrows in the hands 00:34:31.329 --> 00:34:33.110 of a warrior. This pastor said, I want to have 00:34:33.110 --> 00:34:35.510 as many children as I can. I think he has 10, 00:34:35.590 --> 00:34:38.809 11, or 12 children. So I looked at my wife and 00:34:38.809 --> 00:34:42.230 I said, can we please be like that pastor? You 00:34:42.230 --> 00:34:43.829 know, the Bible says, she says, no way, bud. 00:34:44.110 --> 00:34:47.670 You know, we have three beautiful children. My 00:34:47.670 --> 00:34:49.969 wife has very rough pregnancies, but I'll say 00:34:49.969 --> 00:34:53.949 this to this verse. Part of my job, I get to 00:34:53.949 --> 00:34:56.309 meet pastors and go speak at churches and be 00:34:56.309 --> 00:34:59.489 there. I was gonna be in Pasadena, and I was 00:34:59.489 --> 00:35:02.250 gonna meet with Pastor Xavier, and my family 00:35:02.250 --> 00:35:04.469 was gonna meet me there. I was already down in 00:35:04.469 --> 00:35:07.250 that area. But none of us had eaten, and we were 00:35:07.250 --> 00:35:09.429 tired, and it was a lot of hours without eating 00:35:09.429 --> 00:35:11.710 and being there. And now it's nine o 'clock at 00:35:11.710 --> 00:35:14.809 night, we're tired, and we're hungry. And my 00:35:14.809 --> 00:35:17.849 wife and I don't fight, but I would say that 00:35:17.849 --> 00:35:24.139 sometimes we may have intense fellowship. And 00:35:24.139 --> 00:35:26.780 so at the end of this night, we had had some 00:35:26.780 --> 00:35:30.920 intense fellowship trying to get to where we 00:35:30.920 --> 00:35:34.579 were going to eat. And I hadn't articulated clearly 00:35:34.579 --> 00:35:37.460 enough what the plan was. And there was a misunderstanding. 00:35:37.719 --> 00:35:40.579 And when plans change fast, you have to, some 00:35:40.579 --> 00:35:42.980 of these things I need to be more mindful of. 00:35:43.039 --> 00:35:45.800 And so we were at odds for a second. We finally 00:35:45.800 --> 00:35:48.320 got to where we were going to eat. And it was 00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:53.909 very quiet at dinner, I'll say. And my wife gets 00:35:53.909 --> 00:35:56.550 up to go get something to drink. And right then, 00:35:56.570 --> 00:35:58.949 as soon as there was a space there, my daughter 00:35:58.949 --> 00:36:00.690 Natalia turns and she goes, Dad, you're under 00:36:00.690 --> 00:36:03.750 spiritual attack. And I was like, I know. And 00:36:03.750 --> 00:36:07.630 she's like, yeah, but you're losing. And I go, 00:36:09.610 --> 00:36:14.530 I know. And she's like, Dad, you need the fruit 00:36:14.530 --> 00:36:16.570 of the Spirit. And then now my wife's coming 00:36:16.570 --> 00:36:18.889 back, so the conversation stops. Dinner ends 00:36:18.889 --> 00:36:22.329 abruptly. Now we're on a ride home. So we drove 00:36:22.329 --> 00:36:24.449 separately. So my wife takes two of my daughters, 00:36:24.610 --> 00:36:27.449 and then I take Natalia with me. And now we're 00:36:27.449 --> 00:36:29.050 driving home. It's about a 40 -minute drive. 00:36:29.570 --> 00:36:33.789 And for 40 minutes, I got an earful, a sermon 00:36:33.789 --> 00:36:37.920 about the fruit of the Spirit. My daughter, yeah, 00:36:38.059 --> 00:36:40.599 my daughter, she starts to go, Dad, you need 00:36:40.599 --> 00:36:42.980 to have self -control. You need to be slow to 00:36:42.980 --> 00:36:45.659 anger. You need to have gentleness, kindness, 00:36:46.039 --> 00:36:49.480 joy, peace, long -suffering. I'm like, what? 00:36:49.559 --> 00:36:53.199 Who told you this? And she's like, you did. And 00:36:53.199 --> 00:36:55.420 I was like, man, praise God. But it blessed my 00:36:55.420 --> 00:36:58.079 heart because, you know, she's pouring into me. 00:36:58.919 --> 00:37:02.340 She's restoring me. You spend all day pouring 00:37:02.340 --> 00:37:04.599 into other people. You need to be prayed up. 00:37:04.639 --> 00:37:07.179 You need to be on walk circumspectly, the Bible 00:37:07.179 --> 00:37:11.300 says. And so the fruit of spending time with 00:37:11.300 --> 00:37:13.119 her, of sharing the word of God with her, of 00:37:13.119 --> 00:37:16.119 learning the Galatians fruit of the spirit was 00:37:16.119 --> 00:37:18.059 bearing right there in that moment. And so I 00:37:18.059 --> 00:37:20.739 was so blessed by that. So now we get home. My 00:37:20.739 --> 00:37:22.219 wife doesn't know that I just heard the best 00:37:22.219 --> 00:37:26.949 sermon I've ever heard. I'm smiling ear to ear 00:37:26.949 --> 00:37:30.269 and she's, you know, not, we're at odds. And 00:37:30.269 --> 00:37:32.929 so I started explaining. I was like, you'll never 00:37:32.929 --> 00:37:35.489 believe. I just got the best sermon from Natalia. 00:37:35.550 --> 00:37:37.050 She was telling me, you need the fruit of the 00:37:37.050 --> 00:37:39.110 spirit, da, da, da. And it brought us back together 00:37:39.110 --> 00:37:42.550 immediately. Immediately. And that's like arrows 00:37:42.550 --> 00:37:44.510 in the hands of a warrior because you're in a 00:37:44.510 --> 00:37:46.889 fight. And those of you that are married, you 00:37:46.889 --> 00:37:48.789 need to know, Satan is just trying to bring, 00:37:48.869 --> 00:37:51.309 you guys are not each other's enemy. Satan would 00:37:51.309 --> 00:37:53.340 like you to think that, but you're not. And you 00:37:53.340 --> 00:37:55.880 need to love one each other. And the men here, 00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:58.280 we need to be the ones to die first. I'm like, 00:37:58.320 --> 00:38:00.480 let her die first. But no, the Bible calls us 00:38:00.480 --> 00:38:05.579 to die first. But you know what? God has a plan. 00:38:05.760 --> 00:38:08.340 God has a plan. And let's turn to Judges chapter 00:38:08.340 --> 00:38:19.960 13. Judges chapter 13. Now, when you have time, 00:38:20.039 --> 00:38:25.409 this whole chapter, completely is about Samson 00:38:25.409 --> 00:38:30.489 before he's even born. The whole chapter is about 00:38:30.489 --> 00:38:33.489 Jesus appearing to Samson's parents, Samson's 00:38:33.489 --> 00:38:36.429 mom specifically, in a Christophany appearance, 00:38:36.590 --> 00:38:39.449 him appearing in the Bible before he actually 00:38:39.449 --> 00:38:43.170 came on earth, and he's explaining to her very 00:38:43.170 --> 00:38:46.670 specific details about her son who's not even 00:38:46.670 --> 00:38:52.090 in the womb yet. Judges 13 .3. And the angel 00:38:52.090 --> 00:38:54.269 of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to 00:38:54.269 --> 00:38:57.710 her, Indeed, now you are barren and have borne 00:38:57.710 --> 00:39:00.230 no children, but you shall conceive and bear 00:39:00.230 --> 00:39:03.510 a son. Now, therefore, please be careful not 00:39:03.510 --> 00:39:06.369 to drink wine or similar drink and not to eat 00:39:06.369 --> 00:39:09.429 anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive 00:39:09.429 --> 00:39:12.429 and bear a son, and no razor shall come upon 00:39:12.429 --> 00:39:16.449 his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite to 00:39:16.449 --> 00:39:19.769 God from the womb, and he shall begin to deliver. 00:39:20.559 --> 00:39:24.980 Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. This 00:39:24.980 --> 00:39:28.000 man, Samson, God knew him before he was born. 00:39:28.440 --> 00:39:30.639 He knew that he was going to have a calling upon 00:39:30.639 --> 00:39:34.340 his life. If you guys even have more time, the 00:39:34.340 --> 00:39:37.559 Nazarite vow is a whole other chapter in the 00:39:37.559 --> 00:39:41.059 Bible you can look up. All of these stipulations. 00:39:41.320 --> 00:39:44.000 And so not just the cutting of the hair and the 00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:46.380 strong drink. It just goes on and on. All the 00:39:46.380 --> 00:39:48.599 things that have to be fulfilled to be a Nazarite, 00:39:48.599 --> 00:39:51.619 to keep the Nazarite vow. And God is imparting 00:39:51.619 --> 00:39:55.099 this to her before he's even born. He's not even 00:39:55.099 --> 00:39:57.719 there yet. God's intentionality is so clear. 00:39:57.800 --> 00:39:59.400 I think he puts this stuff in the word of God 00:39:59.400 --> 00:40:02.840 so clearly for us. If you look in the book of 00:40:02.840 --> 00:40:06.320 Matthew. John the Baptist is doing backflips 00:40:06.320 --> 00:40:09.699 in the womb when his mom sees Mary, and it's 00:40:09.699 --> 00:40:12.559 recorded in the Bible. And the name he uses for 00:40:12.559 --> 00:40:15.000 baby in the womb is Bravos. It's the same name 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:17.260 they use for the baby in the womb and the name 00:40:17.260 --> 00:40:20.000 they use for the baby outside of the womb. God 00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:23.280 is so intentional and so specific. These things 00:40:23.280 --> 00:40:25.940 are there for you to see, to know, and to take 00:40:25.940 --> 00:40:28.440 heart of, especially what's going on in today's 00:40:28.440 --> 00:40:30.719 society. I think everything that we learn in 00:40:30.719 --> 00:40:33.079 the Bible should be received and then lived out. 00:40:33.480 --> 00:40:35.599 This is great that you're here. Continue to come 00:40:35.599 --> 00:40:38.380 to church every Sunday. Every time you guys get 00:40:38.380 --> 00:40:41.199 together, be here. But don't let this be a time 00:40:41.199 --> 00:40:44.260 where you just get spiritually fed, high five 00:40:44.260 --> 00:40:46.400 Pastor Nathan, and then walk out and don't live 00:40:46.400 --> 00:40:49.780 it out. We need to live this out. It's today. 00:40:49.840 --> 00:40:52.460 It's us. It's not someone else. It's incumbent 00:40:52.460 --> 00:40:57.480 upon you and incumbent upon me. Luke 1 says it 00:40:57.480 --> 00:41:02.309 this way. I love this. Luke 1, 15. Speaking of 00:41:02.309 --> 00:41:04.989 John the Baptist, for he will be great in the 00:41:04.989 --> 00:41:07.329 sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine 00:41:07.329 --> 00:41:11.610 nor strong drink. Isn't that crazy? I mean, the 00:41:11.610 --> 00:41:13.849 Bible, when people have a serious calling on 00:41:13.849 --> 00:41:16.530 their life, God calls them not to drink. It's 00:41:16.530 --> 00:41:20.309 crazy. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, 00:41:20.429 --> 00:41:23.590 and catch this, even from his mother's womb. 00:41:24.510 --> 00:41:26.150 How many of you guys knew you could be filled 00:41:26.150 --> 00:41:28.710 with the Holy Spirit in the womb? I did not until 00:41:28.710 --> 00:41:34.739 I read this verse. Psalm 71, verse 6. You are 00:41:34.739 --> 00:41:37.760 he who took me out of the womb. My praise shall 00:41:37.760 --> 00:41:41.980 be continually of you, O Lord. But what does 00:41:41.980 --> 00:41:45.920 it say? There's a ton more. We don't have the 00:41:45.920 --> 00:41:48.380 time. But there's a ton more verses. If you did 00:41:48.380 --> 00:41:52.300 a word study on out of the womb or baby, the 00:41:52.300 --> 00:41:54.760 scriptures go into depth about this. I'm just 00:41:54.760 --> 00:41:57.840 trying to give you the little nuggets of gold. 00:41:58.159 --> 00:42:01.519 Real clear ones. But the scripture is also very 00:42:01.519 --> 00:42:06.239 clear. When we don't recognize God, when we don't 00:42:06.239 --> 00:42:09.719 value human life, what does the Bible say about 00:42:09.719 --> 00:42:13.260 that? It says that we profane his name. Leviticus 00:42:13.260 --> 00:42:17.079 8 .21. We should have that. Leviticus 8 .21. 00:42:18.159 --> 00:42:20.960 Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed 00:42:20.960 --> 00:42:24.940 to Molech. For you must not profane the name 00:42:24.940 --> 00:42:28.980 of your God. I am the Lord. When we sacrifice 00:42:28.980 --> 00:42:31.500 our children to the god Moloch, or healthcare, 00:42:31.800 --> 00:42:35.019 or career, or education, or convenience, this 00:42:35.019 --> 00:42:38.320 is what it looks like. This is the god Moloch. 00:42:38.320 --> 00:42:40.880 They used to have this statue, and they would 00:42:40.880 --> 00:42:43.639 heat up the hands of the statue. And they would 00:42:43.639 --> 00:42:46.599 put their brand new born, baby boy or baby girl, 00:42:46.679 --> 00:42:49.960 and sacrifice and sizzle this child until the 00:42:49.960 --> 00:42:53.340 baby was dead on the statue for convenience, 00:42:53.480 --> 00:42:56.699 for prosperity. And you see the people down below 00:42:56.699 --> 00:43:00.300 playing the drums and the horns so you couldn't 00:43:00.300 --> 00:43:03.139 hear the baby scream. It's kind of similar to 00:43:03.139 --> 00:43:05.480 how we do when we just drive by Planned Parenthood. 00:43:05.949 --> 00:43:09.110 Nobody looks or bats an eye. Or how the Jewish 00:43:09.110 --> 00:43:12.769 people were being taken in the trains and the 00:43:12.769 --> 00:43:14.710 churches at the time were just saying, sing a 00:43:14.710 --> 00:43:16.809 little louder, while they were being hauled away 00:43:16.809 --> 00:43:19.349 to concentration camps and being gassed and murdered. 00:43:21.250 --> 00:43:23.469 This is an age -old fight. The Bible says there 00:43:23.469 --> 00:43:29.230 is nothing new under the sun. But what should 00:43:29.230 --> 00:43:33.570 we do about this? The Bible says in Proverbs, 00:43:34.190 --> 00:43:38.110 31 verse 8 and 9. Open your mouth for the speechless 00:43:38.110 --> 00:43:40.809 and the cause of all who are appointed to die. 00:43:41.329 --> 00:43:44.309 Open your mouth, judge righteously, plead the 00:43:44.309 --> 00:43:47.710 cause of the poor and needy. I'm pretty sure 00:43:47.710 --> 00:43:50.349 everybody in this room knows somebody that has 00:43:50.349 --> 00:43:53.730 had an abortion or knows of somebody who knows 00:43:53.730 --> 00:43:56.409 somebody that's had an abortion. We've all been 00:43:56.409 --> 00:43:58.510 affected. And if you don't, you know me now and 00:43:58.510 --> 00:44:02.000 I've had an abortion. But here's the deal. When 00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:05.139 I speak, I've been able to speak to high school 00:44:05.139 --> 00:44:07.920 kids. I got to even speak to the high school 00:44:07.920 --> 00:44:10.900 and junior high group where I fell out of from 00:44:10.900 --> 00:44:13.059 the church that I was at before I had an abortion. 00:44:13.239 --> 00:44:15.179 And I got to speak directly to them. And I asked 00:44:15.179 --> 00:44:17.099 them a question. How many of you guys know somebody 00:44:17.099 --> 00:44:19.559 who's pregnant in high school? Every single kid 00:44:19.559 --> 00:44:24.000 raised their hands. We all know someone who's 00:44:24.000 --> 00:44:26.690 going to be affected by abortion. And you have 00:44:26.690 --> 00:44:28.650 the opportunity to point them to the scriptures 00:44:28.650 --> 00:44:32.289 and to pour into them the love of God. To pour 00:44:32.289 --> 00:44:34.929 into them his plan for their life. And to pour 00:44:34.929 --> 00:44:38.010 into them their purpose. Because God loves them. 00:44:38.090 --> 00:44:39.929 And he thinks about them more than the number 00:44:39.929 --> 00:44:42.369 of the sand. And there's a plan. There's a way 00:44:42.369 --> 00:44:48.510 out. Proverbs 24, verse 11 and 12. Deliver those 00:44:48.510 --> 00:44:51.969 who are drawn toward death and hold back those 00:44:51.969 --> 00:44:55.480 stumbling to the slaughter. I don't know anybody 00:44:55.480 --> 00:44:58.360 else who is more drawn towards death and being 00:44:58.360 --> 00:45:01.420 pulled to the slaughter than a baby in the womb 00:45:01.420 --> 00:45:04.920 who is voiceless. You have an opportunity to 00:45:04.920 --> 00:45:07.219 be a part of something that is eternal business 00:45:07.219 --> 00:45:13.219 this Saturday and very, very important. Just 00:45:13.219 --> 00:45:16.960 your presence by being outside. Outside of abortion 00:45:16.960 --> 00:45:18.980 clinic, we know when Christians are outside praying, 00:45:19.139 --> 00:45:22.639 we see abortion rates go down up to 70 % those 00:45:22.639 --> 00:45:26.090 days. When you're outside praying, when I heard 00:45:26.090 --> 00:45:28.969 that statistic, I was outside in abortion praying 00:45:28.969 --> 00:45:31.929 for the first time in 15 years since I had an 00:45:31.929 --> 00:45:35.269 abortion myself. I've seen God save over 1 ,000 00:45:35.269 --> 00:45:38.070 babies and 1 ,000 people come to Christ from 00:45:38.070 --> 00:45:40.550 going outside, sharing the gospel, and just being 00:45:40.550 --> 00:45:42.590 the hands and feet of Jesus. It's nothing of 00:45:42.590 --> 00:45:45.269 us, it's all of him. And you have that opportunity. 00:45:45.869 --> 00:45:48.309 And if you say, surely we did not know this, 00:45:48.429 --> 00:45:51.449 does not he who weighs the hearts consider it? 00:45:51.820 --> 00:45:54.739 And he who keeps your soul, does he not know 00:45:54.739 --> 00:45:58.679 it? And will he not render to each man according 00:45:58.679 --> 00:46:01.659 to his deeds? I believe that every Christian 00:46:01.659 --> 00:46:04.440 stood before God for slavery. I believe that 00:46:04.440 --> 00:46:06.880 Christians in Nazi Germany stood before God for 00:46:06.880 --> 00:46:10.019 the Jews in the internment camps. And I believe 00:46:10.019 --> 00:46:13.380 us as Christians will stand before God for abortion 00:46:13.380 --> 00:46:16.570 in our nation. We have an opportunity this Saturday, 00:46:16.730 --> 00:46:19.289 and I got a special bonus for you today. Let's 00:46:19.289 --> 00:46:22.650 turn in our Bibles to Isaiah chapter one, because 00:46:22.650 --> 00:46:28.949 we're doing so good on time. This is some of 00:46:28.949 --> 00:46:34.690 my favorite part of the scripture, and it sums 00:46:34.690 --> 00:46:42.480 it very well here. Chapter one, verse 12. Isaiah 00:46:42.480 --> 00:46:45.440 is speaking on behalf of God to the people of 00:46:45.440 --> 00:46:47.880 Israel who are flourishing. They're having long 00:46:47.880 --> 00:46:50.480 prayer meetings. They're having long church services, 00:46:50.719 --> 00:46:53.780 festivals, and new moons, and Sabbaths, and celebration. 00:46:54.559 --> 00:46:57.440 All while, at the same time, babies are being 00:46:57.440 --> 00:46:59.320 sacrificed to Moloch. And this is what God says 00:46:59.320 --> 00:47:02.239 about that. He says, when you appear to me, when 00:47:02.239 --> 00:47:04.820 you come to appear to me, who has required this 00:47:04.820 --> 00:47:07.969 of your hand to trample my courts? Bring no more 00:47:07.969 --> 00:47:11.210 futile sacrifices. Incense is an abomination 00:47:11.210 --> 00:47:14.349 to me. The new moons and the Sabbaths and the 00:47:14.349 --> 00:47:17.730 calling of the assemblies, I cannot endure iniquity 00:47:17.730 --> 00:47:20.989 and the sacred meeting. Your new moons and your 00:47:20.989 --> 00:47:24.090 appointed feasts my soul hates. They are trouble 00:47:24.090 --> 00:47:27.289 to me. I am weary of burying them. God says he 00:47:27.289 --> 00:47:31.500 hates that. He hates it. When you spread out 00:47:31.500 --> 00:47:34.159 your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Even 00:47:34.159 --> 00:47:36.360 though you make many prayers, I will not hear. 00:47:36.519 --> 00:47:39.980 Your hands are full of blood. When we ignore 00:47:39.980 --> 00:47:43.119 the shedding of innocent blood, when we ignore 00:47:43.119 --> 00:47:46.780 that, God says he's not listening. We need to 00:47:46.780 --> 00:47:49.639 pay attention. In Deuteronomy chapter one, when 00:47:49.639 --> 00:47:51.940 this man shows up dead and they measure from 00:47:51.940 --> 00:47:54.179 the dead body to the closest city, there's a 00:47:54.179 --> 00:47:57.320 whole length of things that they do to sacrifice 00:47:57.320 --> 00:48:00.400 a young bull that's never been worked at a river 00:48:00.400 --> 00:48:02.780 that's not being used and a land that's not being 00:48:02.780 --> 00:48:05.340 worked. And there's this whole process where 00:48:05.340 --> 00:48:07.480 they go before the Lord and they ask for forgiveness. 00:48:07.639 --> 00:48:10.579 The city leaders, the priests, the Levites, the 00:48:10.579 --> 00:48:12.440 elders, and they all go before the Lord and say, 00:48:12.519 --> 00:48:14.840 Lord, forgive us of this blood for we knew not. 00:48:14.920 --> 00:48:18.320 Would you atone for us? We're all going to be 00:48:18.320 --> 00:48:21.659 held accountable for these innocent children. 00:48:21.920 --> 00:48:24.579 But I love that God never leaves it there. He 00:48:24.579 --> 00:48:27.800 never leaves it there. It's never hopeless. It's 00:48:27.800 --> 00:48:31.440 daunting, but it's not hopeless. Verse 16. Wash 00:48:31.440 --> 00:48:34.539 yourselves. Make yourselves clean. Put away evil 00:48:34.539 --> 00:48:37.639 from your doings from before my eyes. Cease to 00:48:37.639 --> 00:48:42.500 do evil. Learn to do good. Seek justice, rebuke 00:48:42.500 --> 00:48:45.059 the oppressor, defend the fatherless. When a 00:48:45.059 --> 00:48:46.840 mom and dad are walking into an abortion clinic, 00:48:47.019 --> 00:48:51.260 that mom and that dad have abandoned that child 00:48:51.260 --> 00:48:53.659 and that baby is fatherless. You'll be stepping 00:48:53.659 --> 00:48:56.699 into a fatherless ministry. And it says, plead 00:48:56.699 --> 00:48:59.780 for the widow. Come now, let us reason together. 00:49:00.039 --> 00:49:03.280 Oh, I love that. I love it because the Lord says, 00:49:03.579 --> 00:49:07.739 you know what, I'm so, us as people, it would 00:49:07.739 --> 00:49:10.480 be like, you see the filth, you see the sin, 00:49:10.559 --> 00:49:13.059 you see the shame, and instead when someone should 00:49:13.059 --> 00:49:15.699 tell you to go pound sand and get away from me, 00:49:15.719 --> 00:49:18.619 depart from me, you worker of iniquity, God would 00:49:18.619 --> 00:49:22.360 say, come now. Let's work this out. Let us reason 00:49:22.360 --> 00:49:24.880 together, says the Lord. Though your sins are 00:49:24.880 --> 00:49:27.699 like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. 00:49:27.960 --> 00:49:30.679 And though they are red like crimson, they shall 00:49:30.679 --> 00:49:35.900 be as wool. I love that. No matter what you have 00:49:35.900 --> 00:49:39.679 going on in your life, no matter what sin has 00:49:39.679 --> 00:49:42.599 happened, God doesn't leave it there. Bring it 00:49:42.599 --> 00:49:45.139 to the cross today. Ask him for forgiveness of 00:49:45.139 --> 00:49:47.780 that. He will wash you. He will remember it no 00:49:47.780 --> 00:49:50.159 more. And not only will he, he doesn't make you 00:49:50.159 --> 00:49:52.639 better. He doesn't fix what's going on in your 00:49:52.639 --> 00:49:55.760 life. He makes it completely brand new. As if 00:49:55.760 --> 00:49:59.500 you'd never sinned before. He's that good. He 00:49:59.500 --> 00:50:04.960 is good enough to save to the uttermost. Man, 00:50:04.960 --> 00:50:08.559 I'm so thankful. God has done a work through 00:50:08.559 --> 00:50:12.480 this ministry. And when we go out, I have the 00:50:12.480 --> 00:50:14.400 high honor of partnering with Cali Choice and 00:50:14.400 --> 00:50:16.760 Options Pregnancy Center. I think we have a slide 00:50:16.760 --> 00:50:22.670 of us outside. We're at Compton Plant Parenthood. 00:50:22.949 --> 00:50:25.449 So if you'll see that van right there, that's 00:50:25.449 --> 00:50:28.750 an ultrasound van. And that's Marjorie, our nurse. 00:50:28.809 --> 00:50:31.190 She's a registered nurse. We take her and the 00:50:31.190 --> 00:50:32.949 van out there and our team gets to share the 00:50:32.949 --> 00:50:37.110 gospel. And yep, we keep going. We got one more. 00:50:39.070 --> 00:50:41.250 So when we're out there, we actually get to share 00:50:41.250 --> 00:50:42.909 the gospel with people. We actually get to point 00:50:42.909 --> 00:50:45.769 them to Christ. And then this is a young lady 00:50:45.769 --> 00:50:49.539 getting on the bus. Through the fruit of that 00:50:49.539 --> 00:50:52.820 and through the help that's given to them. Next 00:50:52.820 --> 00:50:56.820 slide. We get to walk with moms and help them 00:50:56.820 --> 00:51:00.059 with baby showers and help them, you know, through 00:51:00.059 --> 00:51:03.860 this process. We got another slide here. And 00:51:03.860 --> 00:51:11.559 that's the baby. Yeah, praise God for that. But 00:51:11.559 --> 00:51:16.320 we need your help. We need support. We're donation 00:51:16.320 --> 00:51:19.380 supported. You could scan that and we have a 00:51:19.380 --> 00:51:22.340 few cool things for you today. In the foyer, 00:51:22.420 --> 00:51:25.500 we have a table. When you come and you support, 00:51:25.719 --> 00:51:27.820 I think it's at 35 a month, they send to your 00:51:27.820 --> 00:51:29.960 house this battle box that equips you for the 00:51:29.960 --> 00:51:33.599 fight. A bunch of literature, information. Also, 00:51:33.699 --> 00:51:36.659 it involves you on an online community with a 00:51:36.659 --> 00:51:39.340 bunch of like -minded Christians. They send a 00:51:39.340 --> 00:51:42.460 stainless steel white rose mug and a hat. and 00:51:42.460 --> 00:51:44.599 you'll get a free shirt here today, but the box 00:51:44.599 --> 00:51:49.420 is sent to your house. Sophie Scholl, when she 00:51:49.420 --> 00:51:53.239 went up, she started the White Rose Resistance 00:51:53.239 --> 00:51:56.699 with her brother, and her last words were, the 00:51:56.699 --> 00:51:59.960 sun still shines. And we made these bronze and 00:51:59.960 --> 00:52:02.139 white roses that say, the sun still shines right 00:52:02.139 --> 00:52:05.519 here. And people... We give them out to people 00:52:05.519 --> 00:52:08.519 when they support at 70 a month. They put this 00:52:08.519 --> 00:52:10.199 on their nightstand and it reminds them to be 00:52:10.199 --> 00:52:12.480 praying for the unborn, to be praying for the 00:52:12.480 --> 00:52:14.679 ministry because we're seeing babies saved and 00:52:14.679 --> 00:52:16.920 we need prayer warriors. So you'll get one of 00:52:16.920 --> 00:52:19.820 those today. If you scan the card, if you don't 00:52:19.820 --> 00:52:22.280 scan, we have a paper and pen you could sign 00:52:22.280 --> 00:52:28.619 up that way. But last but not least, we're raising 00:52:28.619 --> 00:52:32.639 up Gideons. And when you sign up at 144 a month, 00:52:32.719 --> 00:52:36.059 you get a Damascus steel brand new sword to put 00:52:36.059 --> 00:52:38.500 on your mantle because you have joined the fight. 00:52:38.679 --> 00:52:41.840 And we really, we'll send this to your house. 00:52:41.980 --> 00:52:44.880 I only have one on hand today, but we'll make 00:52:44.880 --> 00:52:46.860 sure you get it all sent to your house. You put 00:52:46.860 --> 00:52:49.239 this on your mantle. This is a real sword. Don't 00:52:49.239 --> 00:52:54.239 give this to the kids. But we give this, we give 00:52:54.239 --> 00:52:58.650 these out because your support truly makes. a 00:52:58.650 --> 00:53:01.690 life -saving difference. I get to hold these 00:53:01.690 --> 00:53:04.050 babies. I get to help support them. We get to 00:53:04.050 --> 00:53:06.250 get them gifts. We get to walk with them. And 00:53:06.250 --> 00:53:08.070 this is just Christianity. This is Christianity 00:53:08.070 --> 00:53:10.829 101, amen? All right, let me close in prayer. 00:53:11.070 --> 00:53:13.309 Heavenly Father, we just come before you, and 00:53:13.309 --> 00:53:15.610 I thank you, God, for this opportunity, Lord, 00:53:15.690 --> 00:53:18.210 to share with you, to share with your church 00:53:18.210 --> 00:53:21.150 your word and what you say about life. Lord, 00:53:21.190 --> 00:53:22.929 I pray right now, if there's anybody here who 00:53:22.929 --> 00:53:26.260 does not know you as Lord and Savior, Lord, that 00:53:26.260 --> 00:53:28.019 they could just say something like this in their 00:53:28.019 --> 00:53:31.000 hearts. Lord, Lord, I'm a sinner and I need you. 00:53:31.239 --> 00:53:33.320 I believe you died on the cross. You rose again 00:53:33.320 --> 00:53:37.119 from the graves. I've broken your law and I have 00:53:37.119 --> 00:53:39.420 missed the mark. I have sinned against you. Lord, 00:53:39.480 --> 00:53:41.980 forgive me. Lord, wash me. Lord, make me clean. 00:53:42.760 --> 00:53:45.019 Lord, you will hear that prayer. You will forgive 00:53:45.019 --> 00:53:47.019 them their sins and you will come and dwell inside 00:53:47.019 --> 00:53:49.510 of them. And so, Lord, if there's anybody here 00:53:49.510 --> 00:53:51.710 right now that needs to receive you, I pray they 00:53:51.710 --> 00:53:53.190 could pray something like that, or they could 00:53:53.190 --> 00:53:55.610 come and pray with one of the prayer elders, 00:53:55.710 --> 00:53:58.030 one of the elders of the church, and receive 00:53:58.030 --> 00:54:00.170 you as Lord and Savior, and know for certain 00:54:00.170 --> 00:54:03.389 that they're going to heaven. Lord, I pray right 00:54:03.389 --> 00:54:05.590 now for this church. Lord, I pray that people 00:54:05.590 --> 00:54:07.570 would make time this Saturday. We have a lot 00:54:07.570 --> 00:54:09.289 going on, but it's about an hour and a half of 00:54:09.289 --> 00:54:11.869 time. I'm pretty sure there's going to be burritos 00:54:11.869 --> 00:54:14.329 after even. And God, that we would just go and 00:54:14.329 --> 00:54:16.469 pray. No one has to say anything. They're just 00:54:16.469 --> 00:54:18.789 gonna worship. They're just gonna pray. And we're 00:54:18.789 --> 00:54:20.449 gonna be there for about an hour and a half. 00:54:20.650 --> 00:54:22.869 And Lord, we'll see babies saved. We'll see people 00:54:22.869 --> 00:54:25.949 come to Christ. And more importantly, we'll see 00:54:25.949 --> 00:54:28.269 you be glorified. So I thank you for Hosanna 00:54:28.269 --> 00:54:29.889 Christian Fellowship. I thank you for Pastor 00:54:29.889 --> 00:54:32.690 Nathan, him being a bold warrior that's allowing 00:54:32.690 --> 00:54:35.789 us to even share this truth. Lord, I pray that 00:54:35.789 --> 00:54:37.650 you would just have your will be done here. In 00:54:37.650 --> 00:54:39.409 Jesus' mighty name we pray. And all God's people 00:54:39.409 --> 00:54:41.389 said, amen. God bless you guys.